Chapter 27 (Part 1)

〈 Episode 27 〉The Captured Couple

“Alright, let’s go, Lucy.”

“Ugh…”

The next day, Asha woke up at dawn, packed up her things, and set off again, carrying Lucia, who was still half-asleep. After walking without rest, Asha was able to reach the village where she had first started the quest by midday.

Upon arriving in the village, Asha was able to meet the village chief right away. The chief was overjoyed to see Asha.

“You’re alive! Do you even know how many days it’s been!”

Asha, taken aback by the village chief’s enthusiastic welcome, which was a far cry from his prickly attitude when they had parted, replied after a moment.

“Huh?! Oh, yes. Well, the Orcs were one thing, but the Labyrinth took a while, so sorry…”

“You have another companion. Who is this child?”

“She’s my daughter. Lucia, say hello.”

“Hello~”

The village chief’s mouth stretched into a wide grin at Lucia’s adorable greeting.

“Hehe, how cute. Welcome, Lucia. I hope you have a good rest here.”

Asha smiled contentedly as she watched her daughter’s charm work its magic.

‘That’s my girl. The cutest in the world.’

“Could you leave the child somewhere else for a while while we talk?”

“I’m sorry, but she gets anxious when she’s separated from me.”

The village chief nodded at Asha’s reply.

“Then it can’t be helped. Now, tell me what happened.”

“Before that, village chief, have there been any people who have gone missing in the village?”

“Yes, there have been. Four people disappeared while you were gone, and another one went missing today.”

“Couldn’t you find any traces?”

“They disappeared without a single piece of clothing. We don’t know where they disappeared from, or whether they’re dead or alive.”

‘So the Orcs aren’t the problem. It’s more like…’

Asha listened to the villagers’ situation and became convinced that the culprit was not an Orc.

“Well… let me tell you about my investigation first. I went into the Orc Village and asked the Orcs directly, and they said that while humans are annoying, they don’t hate them enough to kill them. There was no noticeable military activity either. Isn’t this disappearance of the villagers a separate matter?”

The village chief looked horrified at Asha’s statement that she had simply entered the Orc Village.

“You went to the Orc Village yourself? You’re very brave. If it wasn’t the Orcs, then who did it? When I sent you last time, this hadn’t happened yet, but now five people have disappeared. Whether it’s Orcs or not, we must find out what is making the villagers disappear.”

Asha guessed that the success or failure of the quest depended on this incident in the village.

“I’ll investigate further. Please tell me the paths they often took.”

“Will you do that? I’ll entrust the job to you. I’ll pay you extra. Even though it was a little late, you investigated the Orc Village thoroughly, so I’ll pay you the reward.”

Asha received the reward for scouting from the village chief. Her heart fluttered at the first money she had ever received in this world.

‘Every time I was summoned, I ended up going back empty-handed… Now I’m finally getting something. I have to keep it safe. Hehe, should I buy Lucy some clothes with this?’

Asha carefully stored the reward she received in her Inventory and wondered whether to take Lucia with her when she went to investigate. Asha asked Lucia.

“Lucy, Mommy is going to go investigate, but it might be a little dangerous, okay? Won’t Lucy stay here?”

“Lucy wants to go together.”

“Mommy is worried about Lucy, can’t you?”

“Lucy finds things better than Mama. Stronger too. Lucy does better.”

“Ugh…”

Asha staggered for a moment, struck by the fact that her daughter had inadvertently thrown at her. Whether her daughter was strong or not, she was still worried, but rather than leaving Lucia behind and being anxious, Asha decided to take her with her.

A quick search was a critical matter of life and death for the missing people. After hearing from the village chief about the places the missing people frequented, Asha immediately left the village with Lucia without delay. Fortunately, Asha, who had recovered to some extent from the rest she had taken the day before, had enough stamina to search the area.

She activated her search skill and began looking for traces in the surrounding forest. Using a map and her search skills in combination, Asha was able to find traces faster than she had expected.

“I think it’s here…”

She found a small pit next to a tree stump and went closer to the pit to look around. Next to the tree, there was a slight trace of grass being pressed down, as if someone had been sitting there.

“Since there are still traces like this, it seems like they haven’t been missing for long. This pit is suspicious…”

The pit, which was just big enough for one person to enter, was a little too narrow for Asha to enter. Asha asked Lucia.

“Lucy, can you go inside and take a look? Come out right away if it’s dangerous.”

“Okay!”

Lucia immediately jumped into the pit. A short time later, Lucia emerged from the pit, supporting herself on the wall with a vine transformed from her arm.

“Lucy, did you see anything?”

“This cave, it’s the Tentacles’ cave.”

Lucia held out the sticky liquid on her hand to Asha. The liquid Asha received was the smell she had been sick of for days.

“Ugh… I can’t forget this smell… It really is a Tentacle. Are these things starting to crawl out of the Labyrinth now?”

Asha searched the area further, just in case, and was able to find another pit of a similar size. Having become certain of the culprit, Asha went straight back to the village.

The village, which had become dark as the sun had set, was brightly lit with strict security. Sensing that something had happened, Asha ran to the village chief’s house.

“Village chief! What happened?”

The village chief greeted Asha with a grave expression.

“This time, a couple disappeared together. That makes seven. I’m going crazy. People with difficult livelihoods can’t just stay in the village. They have to go outside to find something to eat. But if the number of missing people continues to increase like this, the village will be empty.”

“I’ve found out who the culprit is.”

“Is that really true! Who is it!”

“Ugh… Village chief, calm down.”

Only after the village chief, who had been excited for a moment, calmed down was Asha able to explain about the Labyrinth and the Tentacles. The village chief had a dubious expression after hearing the explanation.

“There is such a creature… I’ve never even heard of a place called the Labyrinth. So that’s why there were no traces. I’m sorry, but I want to check it properly. Can you go with me to that place tomorrow? I’ll go with a hunter who knows the surrounding geography well.”

“Yes, of course. Instead, I think it would be good to tell the villagers what is kidnapping people and warn them.”

“Of course. I’ll let everyone know tomorrow morning.”

Asha promised to go to the place of disappearance with the village chief tomorrow. She was originally going to stay at the only inn in the village, but thanks to the village chief’s consideration, she was able to stay in the remaining room in his house.

On the day Asha and Eva were rescued by Lucy and escaped the Labyrinth, the Tentacle lost an excellent breeding ground and prey that it had painstakingly created. The Labyrinth, whose existence was only known to a few Orcs, had hardly any visitors.

In order to maintain the momentum of the Tentacle, which had been rapidly expanding its power recently, new prey was needed, and the Tentacle began to expand its territory in order to acquire a host. The Tentacles, which had been scattered in all directions to restore the Labyrinth that the Slime had destroyed in the past, spread out like roots and began to encroach on the surrounding area.

The Tentacle, which began to occupy the underground, annihilated all the indigenous creatures living under the ground and used them as nutrients, and began to attract nearby prey.

Jamie was a farmer in the village who had been married for two years. He had married Rosie, his childhood friend, when they became adults. They didn’t have any children yet, but they had a good relationship, having intercourse every day, and both of them truly loved each other.

However, apart from their happiness, Jamie’s family was not well off, as was the case with most villagers, and now that it was the off-season after the harvest, they had to go outside the village to stock up on food.

There were days when they couldn’t get anything, but taking a day off meant skipping a meal that day, so he and his wife Rosie went out into the forest today to collect something to eat.

“Jamie, over here!”

Jamie took the mushroom Rosie handed him and put it in his basket.

“Rosie, can you really see all that? I can’t find it at all…”

More than 60% of the food he found today was found by Rosie. Jamie, with his sturdy physique and tireless work ethic, was good at farming, but his wife Rosie was much better at looking around and doing things that required a sense of style. Rosie smiled brightly at Jamie, who was embarrassed.

“It’s enough if you find a lot. Now, let’s go quickly. It’s dangerous, so we have to go back before sunset.”

Jamie’s face clouded over at her words.

“The village chief told us not to go out if possible… I’m not sure if it’s right to come out now.”

At his words, Rosie’s expression darkened and she sighed.

“It can’t be helped. If we don’t go out today, we’ll be starving from the day after tomorrow… And if it rains tomorrow, of course, it’ll be a waste of time that day. And if Jamie starves, you won’t be able to use your strength properly, right?”

Rosie rubbed her shoulder with a sly smile, and Jamie gave an awkward laugh. It wasn’t that Jamie didn’t like having sex with Rosie, but it was usually Rosie who started their relationship.

“Ha, haha…”

Rosie pouted at Jamie, who only gave an awkward laugh.

“Tch, always avoiding it…”

“Okay, I got it. I got it! Let’s go quickly. We have to find a lot when there’s something to harvest.”

It was obvious that he was trying to change the subject, but Rosie nodded.

“Well, yeah… Hnghk?!”

Suddenly, Rosie made a Strange Voice and crouched down, and Jamie was surprised and supported her.

“Why, what’s wrong, Rosie?”

“No, it’s nothing… I feel strange… I’m okay now. Let’s go.”

Jamie looked at Rosie with a worried expression as she shook off his support and stood up on her own legs.

“…Are you really okay?”

“Yeah. I told you I’m okay. Come on, let’s go quickly!”

Rosie pushed him on the back, but Jamie couldn’t shake his concern for Rosie. However, Rosie also had an awkward expression as she walked, leading Jamie.

‘I had a strange feeling between my legs… I must be mistaken?’

To find prey, the Tentacle operated two types of Tentacles. The first Tentacle was the Burrowing Tentacle, a type in which the trap that Asha had been milked in the past had grown and become mobile. This large Tentacle, which could snatch a person in an instant, swallowed the prey into its body, neutralized it, and brought it to the Nest.

The second Tentacle was the Scouting Tentacle, a small Tentacle the size of a bean. Although it was so small that it could not be seen properly, this Tentacle, which could jump or swell dozens of times its own body, could be created easily due to its small size, so tens of thousands of them scattered to identify prey, and when they heard the command of the main body, they immediately jumped up and stuck to the prey to lure the Burrowing Tentacle.

Through these two types of Tentacles, the Tentacle succeeded in easily dragging five prey into its Nest.

“Haaah!”

Rosie, who had been walking vigorously, blushed and sat down, feeling a sudden pleasure in her stomach. When Rosie did it again, Jamie said with an angry face.

“Rosie! I told you! Tell me if it hurts!”

“Eunghk! It’s not that it hurts… Hnghk♥”

“Rosie!”

The two of them didn’t see it, but just now, a Scouting Tentacle had entered Rosie’s skin and was swelling its body, swallowing the fluid in her womb. Rosie lost her mind to the first sensation she had ever experienced, as her womb was occupied by the Tentacle. And the Scouting Tentacle quickly occupied the prey and stretched out.

Fwoosh!

“Hiiiit!”

“Rosie! Ugh?!”

Dozens of dark red vines burst out from under Rosie’s skirt and stretched out in all directions. Rosie, unable to come to her senses due to the shock and pleasure that had suddenly struck her, was overwhelmed by the Scouting Tentacle that had filled her genitals and was now extending its vines outwards.

Jamie, who was next to her, was caught up in the misfortune and was grabbed by the Scouting Tentacle. He was afraid of the strange creature he was seeing for the first time, but he was more worried about Rosie.

“Rosie! Wake up!”

‘Did this come out of Rosie’s body? Why is this suddenly…’

The Scouting Tentacle was highly efficient, but its only drawback was that it did not have reproductive capabilities. But there was only one time when such a Scouting Tentacle would reveal its claws.

Drdrdr–

‘Vibration? Earthquake??’

Even though he was out of his mind, Jamie felt a strange vibration. Before long, the cause of the vibration revealed itself.

Kwaaaa!

The Burrowing Tentacle, which appeared from under the ground where Jamie was, swallowed Jamie, who was tied up in the air, in an instant. Jamie disappeared on the spot without even having a chance to say a word.

“Hgeuuut… Eunghk♥”

Rosie, who had fainted from the excessive pleasure given by the Scouting Tentacle, was soon swallowed by another Burrowing Tentacle as the Scouting Tentacle pulled out of the host. The Burrowing Tentacle, which had quickly secured two more prey, moved back underground towards the Nest.

The Scouting Tentacle, which had swollen dozens of times from the size of a bean and had grown into a thread-like shape, changed its body color to green to look for another prey, stuck to the floor, and slithered somewhere.

Jamie and Rosie knew that there were missing people in the village, but they thought that if they were together, they could at least run away. But the two of them knew nothing about the Tentacle’s behavior, and their expectations were dashed as the couple was quickly snatched by the Tentacle and kidnapped to the Nest without any resistance.

The villagers who accidentally approached the Tentacle’s territory were immediately caught in the Tentacle’s clutches. Including Jamie and Rosie, who were kidnapped today, a total of 3 men and 4 women were quickly sucked into the Tentacle Tube and sent to the Tentacle Nest.

The Burrowing Tentacle was a Tentacle that performed primary processing before sending the prey. Jamie, being a man, needed a different method, so he was only knocked unconscious, but Rosie, being a woman, began to be modified inside the Burrowing Tentacle as she was. Rosie, whose vagina was wide open by the Scouting Tentacle that had expanded in size in her womb, was forcibly awakened when the Burrowing Tentacle shoved a thick Tentacle into her hole.

“Hgeuuuk! It hurts!”

Rosie screamed in pain, but then she moaned as a vine entered her anus and a needle was stuck in her chest.

“Hit♥ No, don’t do it to my butt! I haven’t even done it with Jamie, hgeut♥”

Rosie’s face turned bright red as she dedicated her virginity to the Tentacle and absorbed the stimulant that had entered her rectum. Before long, milk began to leak from her small breasts as the Burrowing Tentacle began to massage the breasts of the host inside her body. The Tentacle began to squeeze the milk as it stimulated not only both holes but also her breasts, and Rosie writhed and fell into ecstasy.

“Hiiiik♥ St, stop it, hiiit♥”

It was rather fortunate for Rosie that she was being violated by the Tentacle in the darkness of the Burrowing Tentacle. If she had seen the Tentacle wriggling in the Nest, she would not have been able to overcome her fear.

Of course, being violated all over her body by the Tentacle in a place where she couldn’t see anything was enough to make her lose her mind. Rosie began to be humiliated in the body of the Tentacle while being held by the Burrowing Tentacle and moving.

Originally, wild Tentacles would kill men and use them as nutrients, and use women as seedbeds and eat away at their skin to hatch, but this Tentacle, which had received the essence of magic, had been able to fundamentally modify its prey through several trials and errors.

The Tentacle, which had successfully completed even a major surgery that changed the species of Eva, began to embark on a different processing in order to utilize all the prey it had brought.

It was several hours after Jamie had been brought into the Nest that he regained consciousness. The men, heavily sedated and dragged in through the Burrowing Tentacle, had all been brought here unconscious, and Jamie was no different. When he opened his eyes, all he could see was red, and he panicked.

‘W, what is it? Mph, mph! My mouth is covered! Where am I?!’

Jamie, his eyes covered, couldn’t know, but he was completely sealed inside a Tentacle within the Tentacle Nest where he had been captured. Made like a coffin to fit a human, this was a newly created Biomachine designed to modify captured humans for the Tentacle’s purposes.

Jamie, unable even to twitch, was injected with more drugs and fell limply back to sleep. Next to his tube, two other tubes were already modifying unconscious men.

Unlike women, who only needed modifications focused on the breasts, uterus, and anus, men required a few more processes. Changing men cost a little more than changing women, but the Tentacle was desperate for even one more seed-bearer, and they too became targets of the Tentacle’s exploitation.

Only they would know if being a breeding tool for the Tentacle was more unfortunate than being killed and used as nutrients.

The men trapped in the tubes continued to receive injections, and the thick hair on their bodies, including their head hair, fell out, and their genitals gradually shrank. After two days, the men’s chests gradually swelled, and their genitals shriveled, leaving only a husk.

Beneath the scrotum’s husk, a vulva like a woman’s was being created. Before long, the genitals were completely twisted off, and new hair grew back, making the men’s bodies outwardly indistinguishable from women. However, there were still other measures to be taken inside the body, and so the men had to remain unconscious in the Tentacle tube for two more days than the women.

It was several hours after Jamie had been brought into the Nest that he regained consciousness. The men, heavily sedated and dragged in through the Burrowing Tentacle, had all been brought here unconscious, and Jamie was no different. When he opened his eyes, all he could see was red, and he panicked.

‘W, what is it? Mph, mph! My mouth is covered! Where am I?!’